Folding mechanism



I NOV. 6, 1934. Q 5 1,979,316

FOLDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 11, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mil WWW I I f k gnaw-rel? 1 1934- c. s. CRAFTS FOLDING MECHANISM Filed NOV. 11, 1931 2 Sheets-fiheet lfllll ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES Application November 11, 193 1, SerialxNo. 574,251

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to folding mechanism and more particularly to improvements in high speed folding mechanism for use with rotary printing presses.

Objects and advantages of the invention willbeset forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obviousherefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized v and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompaying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan looking from the line 2-2 of Figure 1. i

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel and improved folding mechanism particularly adapted for use with rotary printing presses. Another object is-the provision of a folding mechanism in which stopping of thepress is avoided when a product is not folded off the folding cylinder. Still another object is the provision of means cooperating with a folding cylinder for preventing choking of the folding mechanism.

In the operation of folding mechanisms at.

high speeds, it happens occasionally that the folding blade operates improperly and fails to fold-off the sheets from the cylinder. Under such conditions the unfolded sheets are carried beyond folding position, may be drawn into the folding cylinder by the folding blade and cause a heavy accumulation of paper, or choke, between the folding cylinder and cutting cylinder. Heretofore, these failures have necessitated the stopping of the press so that the accumulation of sheets could be cleared out of the folding mechanism, resulting in considerable annoyance and loss of time. i

In accordance with the present invention jmeans are provided cooperating with the folding cylinder and positioned intermediate the folding off position and sheet-taking position for removing from the folding cylinder any sheets which may happen to pass folding position due to improper operation of the folding mechanism. These means are preferably separate from the cylinder and may comprise blades or shoes which project into grooves in the sunface of the folding cylinder and serve to strip the unfolded sheets from the cylinder after" they have passed folding position and before: the sheets again reach the sheet taking position of. the cylinder.

It will be understood that the foregoing; general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restricted, thereon.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative.- em.- bodiment of the invention shown inthe accompanying drawings, the mechanism is illustrated in connection with a conventional. form: of re, tary folding mechanism. This folding 'mechanism comprises the usual folding cylinder 10, rotatably mounted by means of its shaft 1.1v in the journals 1 supported on the side frames of the press 13, and cooperating with a. cutting cylinder 14 rotatably mounted in journals; 15. Fold-- ing cylinder 10 is provided with a plurality of folding blades 16, rotatably mounted slightly below the surface of the cylinder by means of. their shafts 1'7 and actuated by suitable. blade:- operating mechanism. Folding cylinder 10' is also provided with the usual cutting blocks 18 to cooperate with a cutting blade 19 mounted on cutting cylinder 14. Below the folding cylinder 10, and closely adjacent thereto are the folding rollers 20, between which the sheets carried. by the folding cylinder arefolded by blades 16 the mid portions of these sheets pass the. fold1- ing-off position at these rollers. Suitable means are also provided on the cylinder 10 for taking. the head end of the sheets to carry them to fold ing off position and for this purpose the usual impaling pins 21 project through the surface of the cylinder and impale the head end of the sheets at the time of cutting.

In accordance with the present invention, there are provided a plurality of strippers or shoes, positioned slightly beyond the head of the sheets in folding off position and between that position and sheet-taking position, and project slightly below the surface of the folding cylinder, extending therefrom away from the cylinder. These stripping shoes serve to remove from the surface of the cylinder any sheets which may pass folding off position on failure of the folding mechanism. As embodied, the surface of the cylinder 10 is formed with a plurality of spaced-apart grooves 25 which extend cir- PATENT OFFICE? rib cumferentially of the cylinder. These grooves are preferably quite shallow and their bottoms are spaced farther from the center of the cylinder than the outside of the folding blade shafts 17. Each of the plurality of stripping shoes comprises a relatively thin elongated member 26, having an arcuate face 2'? and provided with bosses 28 by which the shoes are supported on a rod 29 with their pointed end 30 projecting into the grooves 25 in the surface of the cylinder. Rod 29 extends slightly beyond the ends of the folding cylinder and is supported in the side frames of the press by means of supporting brackets 31 removably clamped to stub shafts 32 projecting inwardly from the press frame and spaced at a distance from the folding cylinder. Screws 33 are provided for holding the rod 29 and shoes 26 borne thereby in proper position with the ends 30 of the shoes just clear of the bottom of grooves 25. Screws 33 may be loosened to permit movement of the shoes away from the cylinder 10 in case an unusually large amount of paper accumulates near the shoes.

In the operation of the folding mechanism, the sheets carried by the surface of the cylinder are normally folded between the folding rollers 20, by means of folding blades 16, but in case of a failure of the folding mechanism, the head of the sheet is carried past its normal position and engages the arcuate faces 27 of the stripping shoes 26. These arcuate faces then gradually strip the sheets from the cylinder, releasing them from the sheet-taking means 21, and guide them to one side of the cylinder, preventing their being drawn into the cylinder or being conveyed around to the cutting cylinder 14 where they would interfere with the subsequent sheet-taking and cutting operations. With the present invention, the folding mechanism need not be stopped to remove sheets each time the folding mechanism fails to fold, and removal of the unfolded sheets can generally be postponed until the press is to be stopped for a considerable period of time.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is: i 1. A folding mechanism including in combination a folding cylinder having sheet taking and folding devices, and sheet stripping means positioned beyond the normal position of the head of the sheet in folding off position including a rod extending lengthwise of the cylinder and mounted for pivotal movement toward and away from the cylinder and stripping shoes mounted on said rod and extending away from said cylinder and means for normally holding said stripping means against said pivotal movement.

2. A folding mechanism including in combination a folding cylinder having sheet taking and folding devices, and sheet stripping means positioned beyond the normal position of the head of the sheet in folding off position including a rod extending lengthwise of the cylinder and mounted for pivotal movement toward and away from the cylinder, concave stripping shoes mounted on said rod and facing the heads of the sheets and extending away from said cylinder and means for holding said stripping shoes in a fixed position with reference to the cylinder.

3. A folding mechanism including in combination a folding cylinder having sheet taking and folding devices and sheet stripping means including a pair of pivotally movable arms, a support extending lengthwise of said cylinder and mounted in said arms for movement toward and away from said cylinder, means for holding said arms in a fixed position and stripping shoes mounted on said support and extending away from the surface of said cylinder.

4. A folding mechanism including in combination a folding cylinder having sheet taking and folding devices and sheet stripping means including a pair of pivotally movable arms, a support extending lengthwise of said cylinder and mounted on said arms for movement toward and away from said cylinder and stripping shoes having concave faces mounted on said support with their concave faces facing the heads of the sheets and extending away from said cylinder and means for holding said shoes in a fixed position with reference to said cylinder.

5. A folding mechanism including in combination a folding cylinder having sheet taking and folding devices, and sheet stripping means to cooperate with circumferential grooves formed in said cylinder, said means including a support extending lengthwise of said cylinder and stripping shoes mounted on said support and pivotally movable toward and from said cylinder, said shoes being provided with concave faces facing the heads of the sheets to be folded, projecting into the circumferential grooves and extending away from said cylinder and means for holding said shoes in a fixed position with reference to said cylinder.

CURTIS S. CRAFTS. 

